A young boy on a bicycle waved at the riders.
The bikers waved back.
They traveled twelve miles through rolling farmland until the road narrowed and led toward a small white house surrounded by maple trees.
Evelyn's home stood at the end of a gravel driveway.
The paint was peeling. The porch railing leaned slightly to one side. A small garden grew beside the front steps.
Daniel parked beside the house.
He got out and opened Evelyn's door.
She took his hand.
"Thank you."
He helped her onto the porch.
Tom and the other riders remained near the gate, giving them space.
Inside, the house smelled of old books, lavender, and fresh coffee.
Photographs covered the walls.
There were pictures of children, church gatherings, school ceremonies, and families standing outside the old church.
Daniel stopped in front of one photograph.
It showed his father standing beside Evelyn, both of them smiling.
His father looked younger than Daniel had ever remembered him.
"Where did you get all these?" he asked.
Evelyn moved toward the photograph.
"Your father gave me copies. He said he wanted the children to know what their community had done."
Daniel stared at the picture.
"I barely remember him."
Evelyn looked at him gently.
"You were a good little boy."
He laughed sadly.
"My mother used to say I was stubborn."
"Your father was stubborn too."
For the first time, Daniel smiled.
Evelyn sat down in her favorite chair.
"Would you like some tea?"
Daniel shook his head.
"Please don't get up. I'll make it."
She looked at him with surprise.
Then she smiled.
"Your father used to say the same thing."
Daniel went into the kitchen.
He found the kettle, filled it with water, and placed it on the stove.
While he waited, he noticed a small wooden box beside the window.
It contained letters tied together with a faded ribbon.
He returned to the living room.
"May I ask you something?"
Evelyn nodded.
"Of course."
"Why didn't you ever come looking for us?"
The question was not angry.
It was simply something he had wondered about for years.
Evelyn looked down at her hands.
"I tried."
Daniel sat across from her.
"After your father died, your mother moved away. I wrote several letters, but they were returned. I went to the house where you had lived, but the family who bought it didn't know where your mother had gone."
She paused.
"Later, I learned that she had moved to another state. By then, I was caring for my own mother."
Daniel listened.
"I always hoped I would find you again."
She looked at him.
"I never imagined it would happen like this."
Daniel lowered his head.
"I'm sorry."
Evelyn reached for his hand.
"Don't carry all of this alone."
He looked at her.
"Your father would have been proud of you."
Daniel's eyes filled with tears.
For several minutes, he could not speak.